Oedipus Rex Character Analysis

Oedipus’ pride and a heightened sense of confidence is very conspicuous throughout the play Oedipus Rex. From the beginning of the play, Oedipus accepts the idea that he can avoid the prophecy given to him by the gods. Oedipus is also seen interrogating Creon and attempting to banish him with Tiresias towards the end of the play because they are saying facts corresponding to the prophecy. He tries to become like a god himself by thinking he could control his own fate. Although Oedipus’ pride can be justified by his accomplishments of being king; the tragedy of Oedipus is the pure result of his overwhelming pride because he killed his father, mocked Tiresias, and blinded himself.

Oedipus was a powerful man that had his life ruined by his excessive pride and selfishness. The same qualities that helped him to rise and become the king of Thebes also caused him to feel a lot of pain. He lost everything that he had gained in a short period of time. Oedipus learned that having power was not all that he thought it was. His life had been a lie and he actually didn’t know anything about the place he was born until he was instructed to save it. Oedipus himself caused his downfall with his selfishness and pride.

Oedipus is described as a hero with god-like qualities. They worship him. The people of Thebes for instance believe that Oedipus ascended to the throne through God’s guidance. Sophocles play Oedipus definitely exemplifies Aristotle definition of a tragic hero.  Oedipus is not only a king but a person born a noble. Oedipus takes his fate into his own hands and takes his decisions head on. He is his own cause of the things happening around him, to him and in his life. Sadly, his life falls apart, but by his own doing. He has to suffer the consequences of his actions in many ways. First, he forces Teiresias to reveal his destiny as well as his father’s name. Teiresias tries to avoid all these questions but in the end he has to head warning to Oedipus against forcing him to reveal those details. Oedipus is relentless and is determined to find the truth. He continues questioning Teiresias further. Teiresias finally

Oedipus is a man of unflagging determination and perseverance, but one who must learn through the working out of a terrible prophecy that there are forces beyond any man’s conceptualization or control. Oedipus’ actions were determined before his birth, yet Oedipus’ actions are entirely determined by the Gods who control him completely. In the beginning of this tragedy, Oedipus took many actions leading to his own downfall. He tried to escape Corinth when he learned of the prophecies that were supposed to take place in his life. Instead, he

This triggered his frustrating, inequitable fate to arise, which made him fit Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero. Oedipus’ only problem wasn’t just that he couldn’t control his temper; he also was full of himself, in other words, Hubris. Hubris is a tragic flaw in which he or she has excessive pride. When Oedipus believed he could overcome fate, he showed excessive pride when he commented, “Ah! Why should a man respect the Pythian hearth, or give heed to the birds that jangle above his head?” (50). He thought he overcame his fate when Polybos died, so he said there is no reason to follow or believe any of it. Greeks, like Aristotle, believe fate is unavoidable and it can’t be changed; so, when Oedipus truly believed he could defy his prophecy, that was highly frowned upon. Oedipus’ fate consisted of killing his father and marrying his mother subsequently having kids with her. On his way to Thebes, he killed King Laius out of rage at the crossroads and all of the witnesses except for one, who got away. Not thinking anything of it, he takes over the throne after defeating the Sphinx and marries Jocasta, who bore his four children. If Oedipus was smart, to avoid his fate, he could have just never wed or kill anyone; his fate couldn’t have been avoided because of his temper and just plain stupidity. Hamartia is the tragic flaw which causes the downfall. Oedipus showed no control when

Oedipus the king’s main conflict is based around Greek mythology in that from the time Oedipus is born it is prophesied by the Gods that he is going to kill his father and marry his mother. Sophocles uses a lot of dramatic irony in order to develop the conflict for the spectators, such as when Oedipus says to Tiresias “You’ve lost your power, stone-blind,stone-deaf-senses,eyes blind as stone”(Sophocles 423-424). Oedipus says this because he refuses to believe that the prophecy that Tiresias is telling is true meanwhile the audience is already aware that Tiresias is telling the truth. The main conflict and theme of this story is between Oedipus and himself because he cannot trust anyone except for himself and in the end, it leads to his own demise. Oedipus can be seen as a dynamic character because at the beginning he is very prideful and at the end, he can be considered fearful of what fate has brought to him.

Oedipus is introduced as a caring king, with the flaw that he’s always priding himself for what he does for the people. Like this we can relate to him, because no human is perfect and we make mistakes when we try to find ourselves. By trying to be a good man he leads himself to his own ruin although he doesn’t know it yet. His pride blinded him from the truth. When he finds the truth, he recognizes his actions and feels guilty. If he wasn’t responsible

The importance and development of pride within Oedipus in Sophocles’ Oedipus the King causes Oedipus to reveal his true identity and learn a lesson of the unchangeable power of destiny. In the beginning of Oedipus’ journey, Oedipus decides to run away from home to escape his destiny in which he will marry his mother and kill his father. From this simple decision to run away from his fate, pride is introduced within Oedipus and it creates a mindset that he is far more superior than the gods as well as having the ability to choose his own path different from the gods’ will. Oedipus’s view of being set apart from the gods and his ambition to overcome his destiny sparks a desire for control, gradually instigating a self-centered attitude. As Oedipus impulse for control increases, it ignites a series of destruction and

As soon as you started reading anyone could tell that Oedipus thought he was perfect and nothing or nobody could dethrone him. But no matter how hard you try you can't escape destiny. When he was a baby his parents found that his destiny was to kill his father and marry his mom. They made the decision to send him to die. He was tie up just waiting to die when a Shepherd walk by and saved him. The shepherd took him to King Polybus and Queen Merope , they took care of him and he always thought they were his real parents. But you can never escape destiny. Which is why he went started as a hero but later on became a villain.

Throughout the play, Oedipus constantly urges Creon, Jocasta, Tiresias, the messenger, and the shepherd for information of his beginnings. For example, when Tiresias revealed his fate, he lost his temper and insulted Tiresias. “You cannot cloud in words what you are/ An enemy, a bitter and cunning...” (38). Oedipus did not want to believe in his fate and ordered Tiresias to leave. Tiresias points out that Oedipus’s obstinacy and pride will bring upon his downfall. “But, as you /Shall learn, what was your pride must be your ruin” (35). Another example when Oedipus lashed out was when he killed Laius and the men around him. “I became angry /And struck the coachman” (53). Oedipus was born with his own stubbornness, a quality that the gods gave

In Oedipus the King, by Sophocles, the origin of Oedipus is the result of his tragic flaw. Oedipus’s pride is an essential part throughout the play and also plays a prominent role in his downfall. We learn that Oedipus let his excessive pride and ego dictate his actions and decisions when he tries to avoid the prophecy that was given to him by the oracles. Without knowing he accidentally fulfils this prophecy. Also Oedipus’s wife shows hubris and contributes to her husband’s downfall when she also tries to avoid the same prophecy.

Oedipus the King - Literature Essay Introduction: Pride: Sophocles is showing through the character Oedipus that having pride and being arrogant can often have negative consequences, and his pride is evident in being a main factor in his downfall. When Oedipus hears of the prophecy that he was going to kill his father and marry is mother, Oedipus is determined to change fate and defy the prophecy. Sophocles demonstrates the idea that this is a terrible trait, to think themselves in control of their fate, above the gods. Sophocles shows that if Oedipus were not have been so prideful as to attempt to prevent the prophecy he would not have fulfilled it.

One of the defining qualities of Greek tragedies is hamartia, or the protagonist’s tragic flaw. This flaw or weakness drives the plot forward, and can led to the demise of even the noblest of heroes. In “Oedipus the King” written by Sophocles, the protagonist, Oedipus was plagued with excessive pride and a short temper. Oedipus’ arrogance prevented him from seeing the truth, and ultimately led to the fulfillment of the prophecy he sought to prevent.

Oedipus Rex is one of the most well written plays. Oedipus Rex has a tragic flaw which leads to his destruction. Oedipus’ flaw leads him to suffer and arouses Pity and Fear from the crowd; Scared that it could happen to them. The Unity of Plot has a beginning, middle and end, along with that Oedipus grows in knowledge about his birthing, but is ignorant for not realizing he brought the problems on Thebes. Oedipus is a confident, wise and strong-willed character, but these characteristics will bring him to destruction. Oedipus’s destruction was tough for him to cope with, but his arrogance was too much for him. The choice he made for handling his situation was not very wise which changed his life. Oedipus Rex is a Greek

Oedipus did not have a fair start in life. His father, Laius, heard prophecy that Oedipus would one day kill his father and sleep with his mother. In order to prevent this, Laius gave Oedipus to a shepherd to be killed. Fortunately, through a string of events, Oedipus's life was saved, and he even went on to become the honored king of Thebes. Despite this feat, Oedipus still managed to make several decisions that ultimately fulfilled the original prophecy told to Laius, and inevitably sealed Oedipus?s fate.